Campus Alert Archive
Washburn

Maintenance Work in the Basement Accidentally Discharged a Fire-Retardant Chemical Into Morgan Hall's Ventilation System

KShazmatadvisorymedium confidence

On the morning of February 27, 2025, Washburn University's Morgan Hall -- the university's main administrative building in Topeka, Kansas -- was evacuated after maintenance work in the basement inadvertently triggered the release of a fire-retardant substance into parts of the ventilation system. Topeka Fire Department crews responded at approximately 8:55 AM CST and ventilated the building; occupants were allowed to return after the building was cleared, with no injuries reported.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
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Institution
Washburn University
Public Masters · KS
iAlert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTmulti-channel
Approximate reconstruction185 chars
iAlert: Morgan Hall is being evacuated due to a chemical release in the building. Topeka Fire Department is on scene. Please vacate the building and avoid the area until further notice.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed: WIBW-13 reported that Topeka Fire Department crews responded around 8:55 AM CST on February 27, 2025 after maintenance work in the basement of Morgan Hall triggered the release of a fire-retardant substance into parts of the ventilation system.
Morgan Hall is the main administrative building at Washburn University, housing the President's Office and other central administrative offices.
Kansas is in the Central Time zone (CST, UTC-6 in late February).
ALL CLEARmulti-channel
Approximate reconstruction129 chars
iAlert: Morgan Hall has been cleared by the Topeka Fire Department. The building is safe to reenter. Thank you for your patience.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed: WIBW-13 reported that Topeka Fire Department crews were ventilating the building around 9:15 AM CST and that students and staff were allowed back inside after the building was cleared, with no injuries reported.
This is a true all-clear: the threat was resolved when the fire suppression discharge was dissipated by ventilation and the building was declared safe.
Context

Background

On February 27, 2025, routine maintenance work in the basement of Morgan Hall at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas accidentally triggered the release of a fire-retardant substance into parts of the building's ventilation system. According to WIBW-13, the Topeka Fire Department received the call at approximately 8:55 AM CST and responded to the scene, where crews worked to ventilate the building. Morgan Hall serves as the main administrative building on Washburn's campus, housing the university president's office and central administrative departments. The building was evacuated as a precaution, and occupants were reported still waiting outside at 9:45 AM while ventilation was underway. Students and staff were ultimately allowed to return inside with no injuries reported. Washburn University uses the iAlert system for campus emergency notifications and operates as a municipally affiliated public university chartered by the City of Topeka, a unique governance model among Kansas institutions. The accidental discharge incident reflects the category of operational emergencies -- non-criminal, non-weather events -- that still trigger campus emergency notification protocols under Clery Act advisory guidance.
Outcome
The Topeka Fire Department ventilated Morgan Hall and cleared the chemical release. Occupants were allowed to return inside the building after the situation was resolved. No injuries were reported. The incident was accidental, caused by maintenance work in the basement accidentally activating the fire-suppression system.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Topeka fire crews respond to Thursday morning incident at Washburn University building - WIBW-13
    wibw.com
Tags
hazmatchemical-releaseevacuationaccidentalfire-suppressionkansaspublic-mastersadministrative-building2025
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion